The Horse Boy

Genres

Overview

A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his father, but feudal codes threaten their happiness. Uchida’s poignant masterpiece condemns the inflexible class system and launches an indictment of values that favor symbolic objects over human life. The film’s focus is on character rather than swordplay, and charged performances - especially child actor Motoharu Ueki - add to the emotional power.

Directors

Tomu Uchida

Writers

Yoshikata YodaScreenplay

Cast

Next slide

Shūji Sano

Isuzu Yamada

Motoharu Ueki

Shinobu Chihara

Kenji Susukida

Kokuten Kōdō